Spanish

All courses are conducted in Spanish. Conversational tutorials for lower division courses are given by a native or near-native Spanish speaker. A semester (or year) of study abroad in either Spain or Latin America is highly recommended for all students of Spanish.

Requirements and Courses

Almost 400 million people around the world speak Spanish as their first language, and it is the second most common language in the United States. At CMC, students in the Spanish program become proficient in speaking, reading and writing Spanish; learn about the cultures of Spanish speakers; and study the literature of Spain and Spanish America. We offer classes from beginning Spanish to senior seminars on topics such as recent Mexican cinema, Spanish immigration in literature and film, and revolutionary literature of Spanish America, among other topics. Students in our program not only learn to communicate in Spanish; they also learn about Spanish and Spanish American cultures and the codes of behavior and beliefs that influence native speakers of Spanish by studying literature and cultural studies.

Many students combine a major in Spanish with another CMC major, such as International Relations, Government, or History, to name a few. Pairing your linguistic and cultural competence in Spanish with another major enhances your studies and ensures that your understanding of the issues is truly global. People planning to go into an international career as well as those planning to work with Hispanic populations in the U.S. find the Spanish major a beneficial addition to their course of study. Recent CMC Spanish majors are now engaged in a variety of careers, including policy analysis, education, law, and scientific research. Other students have won competitive national fellowships for research and study abroad and in the United States.

Our major is flexible, consisting of nine courses after Spanish 33 (seven courses for the dual major). Majors take one of the following pair of courses: SPAN 120A and B or SPAN 125A and B; two courses in either Peninsular Literature and Culture, or two courses in Latin American Literature and Culture; and five (or three, for the dual major) electives. Two courses taken abroad may be used for elective credit; Spanish courses at any of the other Claremont Colleges are accepted for the major as well.

We strongly encourage majors to spend a semester or year abroad. We have approved programs in Spain, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama.

Students of Spanish at CMC are welcome to visit the mesa española in Collins every week, where they can interact with other students as well as with our Spanish language resident and Spanish faculty. We also encourage students to participate in other Spanish-related activities offered at the Claremont Colleges, from talks at International Place to film screenings to visits by authors to salsa dancing and Spanish cooking workshops. See “Events” for details on upcoming activities.

For more information about the Spanish major at CMC or about Spanish-related activities, please contact Prof. Lee Skinner, lskinner@cmc.edu